Kentucky Fried Chicken moves from FCB Ulka to O&M

The media duties, too, have moved out of Lodestar Universal and gone to MindShare. The size of the business is around Rs 6-8 crore

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has moved its creative duties from FCB Ulka to O&M. KFC’s media business has also shifted from Lodestar Universal (FCB’s media arm) to GroupM’s MindShare. The size of the business is estimated to be Rs 6-8 crore.

Although the agreement between KFC and O&M is yet to be signed, industry sources confirm that O&M will begin work on the brand from early June 2007.

Incidentally, the first ever TVC for KFC in India, which is being aired currently, was created by FCB Ulka.

This is not the first time that O&M will work on KFC; it has handled the business earlier in India, in the late 1990s. After that, JWT was put in charge of the business, while MindShare handled the media duties. In 2005, FCB Ulka was awarded the creative duties and the media duties were aligned with Lodestar Universal.

O&M handles the KFC account in other countries such as Thailand, China, Taiwan, Australia, Mexico, Malaysia and South Africa as well. But sources claim that the fact had nothing to do with the decision to move the creative business to O&M in India; it is a purely local initiative. In some markets such as the US, KFC continues to be with FCB Ulka.

KFC, a part of Yum! Restaurants International now, was introduced in India in 1997 by PepsiCo. The brand has publicised itself through print and various on ground activities till date, when it finally released a television commercial.

KFC entered India in 1995 with an outlet in Bangalore. It relaunched the brand in 2004 after a gap. Today, it has 27 stores, seven in Delhi, five in Bangalore, four in Hyderabad, two each in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune, and one each in Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Agra. Out of these, 16 were established last year. In December 2006, in line with a global initiative, the logo was revamped, too.

For the record, JWT handles Pizza Hut, Yum! Restaurants’ other brand in India.

© 2007 agencyfaqs!